Stadium bench seating in ballparks and arenas is designed to maximize the number of spectators that can be seated in a limited area while providing each spectator with the best possible view of stadium activities. Most stadium seating however is not designed for comfort. Common bench seats have a hard, sometimes cold seating surface and provide no back support causing spectators to spend the game hunched over and uncomfortable.
A number of stadium seats have been described that are placed on a stadium bench to provide back support for stadium patrons. The most popular of these seats has a metal frame which supports a back and a seat cushion (U.S. Pat. No. 2,137,312). Hooked ends of the frame slip under the front bench seat to attach the seat to the bench. These seats however are not affixed to the bench. Unfortunately, the security and safety of both fans and players in a stadium setting has become an important issue. Many available stadium seats are easily removed from the bench and can be used as a weapon by angry fans or players. Stadiums and arenas are therefore requiring that stadium seats be affixed to stadium benches. Several systems by which to affix a stadium seat to a bench have been described (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,480,310; 2,536,157; 2,545,840; 2,558,315; 5,533,219; 6,719,370 B2 and 6,926,360 B2). A system that bolts a stadium seat to the bench is described by Dreiling (U.S. Pat. No. 6,352,306 B1). Dreiling describes a clamp which is bolted to the stadium seat frame at the bend in the frame between the seat and the back. The bolt is driven into the back of the bench leaving an exposed bolt head at the rear of the bench which is not only accessible to someone seated in the tier above but can also snag a sock or shoe and injure someone passing in the tier above. Further, the stadium bench must be modified to accommodate the clamp of Dreiling.
Therefore, there remains a need for a simple, effective means to affix a stadium chair to a stadium bench. The means should not be readily accessible to stadium patrons, should preferably not alter the stadium bench and should be easy to install.
All patents, patent applications, provisional patent applications and publications referred to or cited herein, are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the teachings of the specification.